At the most simple level- Malpensa was built as an airport to challenge Rome and to take business where many people felt it belonged- to the North, to Lombardia, where exports are very strong and where the economy continues to grow despite a number of challenges.

With the rescue of Alitalia in 2008 the strategy was to implemented to dehub Malpensa (almost destroying it in the process) and to move all the most important flights to Rome. A very political decision.

Linate remained popular for shorthaul flights as it is very close to the centre of the city (less than 20 minutes vs. 1 hour for Malpensa) and thus retained some customer base (although not very important).

This proposal, being driven at a high level apparently from Rome, will result in more traffic being driven to Linate and Malpensa to suffer even further. While the original politics of building Malpensa are highly debatable, what is not is that it is a major employer in the Milano area.